The Special Security Force Command (Arabic: قيادة قوة الأمن الخاصة) is a paramilitary law enforcement body in Bahrain under the command of the National Security Agency, associated with the Ministry of the Interior. The SSFC is more commonly referred to as the "Special Security Forces", the "Special Forces", or as the "riot police" (Arabic: الشغب).
A majority of the personnel of the SSFC are recruited from outside of Bahrain, from Arab countries or Pakistan. There are reportedly no Bahraini Shia among the ranks of the SSFC.[1]
| External videos | |
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| Amateur video of Special Security Forces brutally attacking a Bahraini pro-democracy protester in June 2011 | |
The Special Security Forces have been accused of widespread human rights abuses, including torture, in trying to suppress opposition political activity in Bahrain.[1][2][3] The SSFC has been at the front line of the Bahrain government's brutal crackdown on pro-democracy protesters during the 2011 Bahraini uprising in the Arab Spring.[4]
In November 2007, Bahrain signed a cooperation agreement with France under which French police officers working in the Compagnies Républicaines de Sécurité have provided training to Bahrain's SSFC.[1] A company of the SSFC were deployed to Afghanistan to provide base security at the United States's Camp Leatherneck.[5][6]